Daniela Altimari reports:
Pharmacies offer a slew of perks to customers who enroll in prescription-drug rewards programs.
But in exchange for all those discounts and goodies, consumers are sometimes required to sign away their right to medical privacy guaranteed under federal law.
State lawmakers want to ensure that participants in rewards programs know that. “Some of our constituents may be unaware that they’re waiving their HIPAA rights,” said Sen. Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that requires pharmacies to notify consumers, in plain language, about their medical privacy if they waive their rights under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The measure, which still need to go to the House, also mandates that pharmacies disclose which third parties will have access to the consumers’ medical information.
Read more on The Courant.